The present invention relates to a new and improved construction of an apparatus for cooling the barrel inner wall of a weapon barrel of a firing weapon.
Generally speaking, the cooling apparatus of the present development is of the type comprising at least one cooling fluid channel for the injection of a cooling fluid or coolant, such as typically water, into the interior of the weapon barrel end or end region. There are also provided means for dosing the infeed of the cooling fluid or coolant. The cooling fluid channel is located in the weapon barrel wall and flow communicates with or opens at or into the inner wall of the weapon barrel.
In a prior art gun barrel cooling apparatus of the aforementioned general type, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,641,162, patented June 9, 1953, there is provided a slide member which can be actuated by the pressure of the propellant gas. This slide member serves to open and close a coolant fluid channel. After firing of a cartridge or round the pressure of the propellant gas which acts upon a piston and piston rod serves to open the slide member, so that cooling fluid can flow through the cooling fluid channel into the interior of the weapon barrel. The injection pressure required for the injection of the cooling fluid is produced by a non-illustrated cooling fluid pump.
This heretofore known construction of gun barrel cooling apparatus is considered to be afflicted with the drawback that there is required an additional cooling fluid pump and, furthermore, that it is practically not possible with such pump to generate the pressure required for the injection of the cooling fluid.
In the German Published Patent Application No. 3,145,764, published June 1, 1983, there is disclosed a different construction of cooling apparatus for the weapon barrel of an automatic firing weapon in high-performance cannons. This cooling apparatus possesses cooling channels in the drum of the firing weapon which branch-off radially from a cooling channel in the drum axle or axis. The cooling channels are connected with nozzles which freely open into the rearward end of the weapon barrel. The control of the injection operation is accomplished as a function of the rotation of the drum, by means of shutoff elements inserted into the cooling channels. These shutoff elements are constituted by, for instance, slide members or valves provided with valve plungers and valve plates. The injection of the cooling fluid is undertaken only during movement of the nozzles past the weapon barrel, and the cooling fluid is directly injected onto the inner wall surface or gun bore of the weapon barrel.
This prior art construction of cooling apparatus is considered to be associated with the drawback that it only can be employed with a firing weapon equipped with a drum or drum member and cooling fluid can only be injected during a very brief time interval.
In Swiss Pat. No. 221,036, granted May 15, 1942, there is disclosed to the art an air cooling apparatus in which cooling channels are provided at movable breachblock parts or components. On the one hand, these cooling channels open into a chamber arranged rearwardly of the breachblock and, on the other hand, towards the cartridge magazine in the weapon barrel. These cooling channels possess the smallest cross-sectional area at the mouth directed towards the cartridge magazine.
This last-discussed prior art construction of cooling apparatus for the weapon barrel of a firing weapon is associated with the shortcoming that it is more suitable for air cooling than for liquid cooling and the air only can withdraw a relatively modest quantity of heat or thermal energy.
In French Pat. No. 1,112,677, granted November 23, 1955, there is disclosed a weapon barrel cooling apparatus in which a piston is displaced in a cylinder by virtue of the recoil of the weapon barrel in relation to the gun mount. Due to this movement of the piston within the cylinder a certain quantity of cooling medium is injected into the interior of the weapon barrel. What is considered to be one shortcoming of this prior art construction of cooling apparatus is that it can not be used for certain weapons.